The present invention relates in general to an improved golf club hosel construction and method of a method of making it. The invention more particularly relates to a hosel construction which can be used to fit golf clubs to individual golfers, and which can be made according to a novel method.
In order to accommodate the largest possible percentage of the population of golfers, off-the-shelf golf clubs have been manufactured to have physical properties for use by a typical golfer having typical golfing characteristics. The golfing characteristics affected the physical properties of the golf clubs, e.g., shaft length, lie angle, and face angle, and included the height of the golfer, the position of the golfer when addressing a golf ball, the swing path of the golf club, the swing height of the club head, etc. Using the typical golfing characteristics to produce off-the-shelf golf clubs having standard physical properties reduced the manufacturing costs of the clubs and enabled the golf club manufacturers to sell the golf clubs at a relatively low cost.
While such an approach provided the majority of golfers with access to relatively inexpensive golf clubs, the off-the-shelf golf clubs were not ideally suited for all golfers. In this regard, a golfer whose golfing characteristics deviated from the typical golfing characteristics was not able to utilize the off-the-shelf golf clubs to perform at the highest level possible. To achieve peak performance levels, the golfer was required to adjust his or her golfing characteristics to match the typical golfing characteristics embodied in the off-the-shelf golf clubs.
The adjusting of golfing characteristics required instruction and substantial time devoted to the adjustment.
In an effort to avoid the time and expense involved in the adjustment of golfing characteristics, golfers turned to customized golf clubs designed specifically for the golfing characteristics of the individual golfer. With the customized golf clubs the golfer was able to utilize his or her own individual golfing characteristics to obtain peak performance without adjusting the individual golfing characteristics.
Generally, the customized golf clubs utilized a club head having an upwardly extending hosel portion for connecting the club head to a shaft. Each individual golfer required a particular relationship between the club head and the hosel portion. Thus, to accommodate as many golfers as possible, an assembler of custom fitted golf clubs had to either maintain a large inventory of all possible combinations of club head/hosel portion relationships, or manufacture each one of the required club heads having the appropriate club head/hosel portion relationship as required.
Although the customized golf clubs enabled all golfers to obtain golf clubs suited for the golfer""s individual golfing characteristics, such customized golf clubs were relatively expensive. Furthermore, the assembly of such customized golf clubs required a substantial amount of time to complete.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved hosel construction for assembling customized golf clubs, and which can be made according to a novel method. Such a hosel construction should enable customized golf clubs to be produced with greater precision in a relatively inexpensive manner, and should enable the customized golf clubs to be assembled quickly and easily.
Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved hosel construction and a method of making it, wherein the hosel construction facilitates the production of customized or fitted golf clubs in a relatively quick and inexpensive manner, and with greater precision.
Briefly, the above and further objects of the present invention are realized by providing a new and improved hosel construction, which can be made according to a novel method of the present invention.
The hosel construction includes a plug member extending downwardly for engaging a club head having a club face. A neck member, extending angularly upwardly from the plug member, engages a shaft to complete a golf club. The neck member extends in a generally transverse dimension to determine-a lie angle between the shaft and the club head. The neck member also extends in a generally longitudinal dimension to determine a face angle for the club face.